Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association Announces New Name and New Executive Director

Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association Announces New
Name and New Executive Director

The Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada has officially changed its name to the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association, or CINA, and has hired a new Executive Director to lead its operations out of its head office in Ottawa, Ontario.

Erin Corston, CINA’s new ED, hails from the Chapleau Cree First Nation in northern Ontario and brings a wealth of administrative knowledge and expertise to her new role. She is a Ryerson University graduate and has a background in environment and public health. She worked with the Federal Government along with various non-profit organizations at the National and Provincial levels, including the Assembly of First Nations and the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Lisa Bourque-Bearskin, CINA President remarks, “Our new name is a reflection of who we are, as Indigenous nursing professionals working for and with Indigenous communities. The move to adopt more appropriate language to describe who we are has been driven by our membership.” President Bourque-Bearskin goes on to say, “The focus of CINA’s work in the coming months will build on our many relationships and planned collaborations. Erin’s expertise skills are the perfect fit for us. She has a proven track record for building organizational capacity and strengthening partnerships, which is exactly what we need at this point in time.”

CINA’s approach is in keeping with the spirit and intent of both the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls To Action, as expressed in its newly developed collaborative framework. Corston says that she is honoured to have been given the opportunity to contribute to CINA’s future success, and to work with the longest serving Indigenous health professional organization in Canada.

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The Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association, celebrated 40 years in existence is the longest serving Indigenous health professional organization in Canada.

For more Information, contact:
Lisa Bourque Bearskin, President
Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association
50 Driveway
Ottawa ON K2P 1E2
Phone: 613-724-4677